Homeless Family of 5 Needing Help

A little over a month ago my sister passed a family on Brookside that looked as though they were homeless. There were two adults and three very young children. She decided to pull over and see if they needed any help.

After talking to them for awhile she found out that they truly were homeless. The family consisted of twins age 4, a 5 year old, and their mom and moms brother. To make a long story short they were living in California and had became homeless due to employment/cost of living issues and other aspects. They had been to Tulsa before and knew they would thrive better here with it being more affordable. Before leaving they called to make sure there was a shelter that could take them in and then spent what they had to get here on a bus, but by the time they got here that shelter was full and could not find any other options.

Kiera decided to get them some groceries and actually paid for a hotel room for a couple of nights. The mom had just got a job so they were hoping with that income they would be able to secure something. That was the last Kiera had heard from them up until yesterday so she assumed income came through or help of some kind.

On Wednesday the brother reached out to Kiera asking if she could help with getting them some bug spray and ointment for bug bites. They had been sleeping at Lafortune park on the ground for almost a week and the mosquitoes and other bugs had eaten them completely up. Kiera got them several thigs to help with the bites and also some food as well. The uncle said that they think they finally found a hotel they can afford and we’re hoping to get into that when mom got paid the next day. Also daycare was approved so he could start working and food stamps were coming.

As she left she snapped the profile picture you see and sent it to me.

This picture is a picture of them walking away into the dark of the park for the night. Mom was at work and so uncle had the responsibility of keeping them safe. My heart broke into a thousand pieces seeing this.

As a society we are so oblivious to the needs of our neighbors. People are suffering and yet we are driving around fancy cars, living in houses bigger than we need, eating more food than we need and so on an so on. I could not bare the thought of those babies sleeping on the ground one more night.

After calling a few hotels I realized I was going to have to lie and tell them it was for me. I would think telling them it’s for a homeless family would maybe help, but instead I was asked to find other options and hung up on. After finding one I drove to the park and loaded them up. This was my first time meeting them and didn’t know what to expect. The uncle was extremely polite and well spoken. There were no signs of mental issues or drug abuse like you see in a lot homeless situations but Instead just a man who has hit a low and is trying to get out of. I helped him get the kids into the hotel and settled. The oldest was itching so bad and was in the worse shape out of all of them. She probably had over 60 bites on her. Each were obviously dirty from sleeping outside. They were all so excited about having a bed to sleep in and getting to take a bath!

After dropping them off I offered to go pick up the mom from work so she didn’t have to take the bus. Once again I didn’t know what to expect, but what I got was really not what I expected. The mom proceeded to tell me she is working two jobs to save up enough money. She works a full time job at a nursing home during the day and then at a restaurant in the evenings. Even with everything going on she was had a manor about her that was positive. She told me that she had a meltdown earlier that day and was considering turning the kids into cps because she couldn’t bare seeing them living on the streets any longer. You could hear the love she had for them as she was explaining everything they had been through and what all they have tried to do to get help. I could not imagine as a mother the pain she was feeling knowing her kids needed more than she was able to provide and having to contemplate giving them away after in your power to help them.

As I pulled into my house that night the guilt was so heavy. I was reminded that there are so many people going through way worse things than I was. I was reminded that there are always things we should be thankful for even if it’s as simple as a meal on our table and a roof over our head.

I am not writing this for attention toward myself or Kiera Tillery, but instead as a reminder to us all that even in the darkest times their are people going through worse and who have way less than us.

The next day we were able to get the family into an extended stay hotel for a week. Thanks to Angela Peterson for the generous donation. I could not imagine these babies sleeping on the ground one more night so this was a win and would allow me time to figure out the next steps.

Mom and kids are all very sick. When I met them on Wednesday they were all at their breaking points. The kids were covered in bug bites and there skin had rashes from being outside. Nights were starting to get cold and they were not really prepared for that. They all have coughs and are extremely congested. We knew hot baths, meds, and a roof over their heads would help, but the oldest continued to get worse.

Yesterday I checked in with the uncle and he said he was really worried about the oldest because she wasn’t breathing right. Mom was working both jobs yesterday and was going to be gone from 7a to 10p so I offered to come by and look at her. Upon arriving I knew immediately she needed to be seen by a doctor. I feared RSV or pneumonia. She needed a breathing treatment and antibiotics on board at the least.

We decided if one was going to be seen then they all probably needed to be seen. Mom was able to get off an hour early so I picked up the kids from the uncle and then grabbed mom to head to the ER. After waiting almost 5 hours they told us they tested negative for rsv, covid, and the flu and that the two younger ones would be fine with fluids and rest, but the oldest needed to stay for a breathing treatment. At this point it was 3am so I decided to take the two younger ones back to the uncle to rest and the ER promised me they would give mom a cab voucher to get home once treatment was completed.

At 7am this morning I got a call from mom. They decided to transport the oldest to St Francis children’s hospital to be directly admitted and they wanted mom to get seen again in their ER so someone needed to sit with the oldest so she wasn’t alone. So here I sit with my new little friend as she gets the care she desperately needed.

Mom was supposed to start training in her new position today that was going to allow for more money and more hours. She fears her job will not understand the circumstance.

Please say a prayer that they are able to make the oldest feel more comfortable and start the healing process of her poor body. Please lift mom up in prayers as I know she feels some kind of guilt for all of this even though I continue to remind her she was doing everything she could. Also, please pray her job understands. She does not need any additional weight on her shoulders right now.

I did not want to have to do this, but the reality is that these babies only have a roof over their head until Thursday! At that time the mom more than likely will not have enough money to pay for another week due to having to stay in the hospital with the oldest and no having to miss work. They have already applied for low income housing, but it could take months! I have already have had several people who have asked how they can donate funds so I hope we are able to make a difference with this money. I would love to see if we can raise enough money to get them into an apartment. I have plenty of people willing to donate clothing and furniture, but we have to raise enough money to get them a roof over their head or none of that will matter.

Anything helps and will add up!!! Love to each of you.